4 Ways to Find Freedom in Motherhood

If you are a mother with young children, the words "independence" and "freedom" might not be the first that come to mind when describing your lifestyle. But the truth is that motherhood gives us opportunities to feel more free than we ever have before.

When I was younger, I used to think that if only I could get rid of my responsiblities, I would be so much happier. Then, when I became a mom, I realized that the opposite was actually true for me. Motherhood has brought so much more responsibility than I ever knew before. But with that responsibility comes a new sense of purpose. I've realized how nice it is to be needed. And in this renewed sense of purpose, I've found a new sense of freedom.

As I've gotten older, I've learned that freedom is less about being able to fly by the seat of my pants, and more about being intentional in recognizing the different freedoms I'm awarded everyday.

Here are 4 ways that you can find Freedom in Motherhood:

1. Freedom to be Yourself

Being a mother awakens our intuition in ways we may not have been aware of before. It teaches us to listen to our instincts and trust that we know what's best for our babies, ourselves, and our families. We learn to trust ourselves and learn to look for answers within rather than turning to the outside world for answers. As a result, we are more confident and empowered in other areas of our lives.

2. Freedom to be Messy

Let's face it - motherhood is messy. Before I became a mom, I was so focused on trying to make things look perfect. I wanted to have a perfect house, perfect hair, the perfect outfit for every occasion. I never realized how vain I was until I no longer had the time to fixate on every little detail of how everything looked. I used to only share photos where I thought everything looked just right. I'll never forget how liberating it was when I changed my focus from sharing pictures where everything looked perfect, to sharing pictures where I looked happy. Motherhood teaches us that it doesn't matter so much if we have messy hair or a messy house... what matters most is how we feel inside.

3. Freedom to ask for Help

A huge (and humbling) lesson from motherhood is that we can't do it alone. We need help in order to be the best moms and people we can be. We don't always have all the answers, and it's okay to admit that. We can't do it all by ourselves, and that's also okay. In my own motherhood journey, I've found it so helpful to seek wisdom from other moms. Having a community shows us that we are not alone. I've learned that mothers need other mothers for support, guidance, and reassurance that there are other people out there who understand what we are going through.

4. Freedom to Choose

As mothers, we are often the heart of our families. We get to choose how we want to raise our children and the type of life that we want to live. We can choose to pass the family values that we learned from our parents onto our children. We can choose to leave behind the things that did not serve us, and parent our own children differently than how we were raised. We can choose to start new traditions with our families. The cycle of life is so interesting, and it's powerful to realize that we are now the ones in charge of creating the lives we want for ourselves and our families.

What does freedom mean to you? And how can you find or create more of that in your life?

Happy 4th of July, friends! May we all find freedom in the many roles we play.

Be well,

Ambar